Spare a thought for David and Jane Alexander
May 11, 2009 – 8:22 amThese are challenging times. While the financial system is imploding and company failures are rising to record levels many people are struggling to stay afloat.
In these times spare a thought for David and Jane Alexander, the unfortunate directors of Crome Internet Limited. Crome Internet employed 8 staff in the Kendal area and had been trading in the design and hosting market for many years. Unfortunately, Crome Internet was placed into liquidation in March of this year. After nine profitable years the Alexanders called in Tenon Recovery to close the company and liquidate the assets. In performing a liquidation the directors are supposed to raise funds with which to secure payment of the creditors. The creditor list was rather long and included Rozmic Wireless to the tune of over £6,000.
A true entrepreneur deals with failure by defying it, and Dave and Jane are keeping this in mind. Rather than languish in failure they used their entrepreneurial flair and have gotten up off the floor to go on and setup two new businesses. Jane now runs the rather similarly named design agency Crome New Media Ltd and Dave runs a sole trading concern called Host and Promote.
Usually I would encourage any business owner get up and move on after failure, but I feel that the Alexanders have not played the game fairly here. I am not concerned that Jane has setup a similarly named company without the permission of the court (pursuant to section 216 of the Insolvency Act). I am not angry that David continued to consume our company’s resources during the period of January (when he setup Host and Promote) and March when he placed Crome Internet into liquidation. I am not even angry that they didn’t have good manners to call and explain and apologise before the liquidation. What drives me mad is that I have been recently contacted by a company who claim to have bought the customer base of Crome Internet Ltd in a deal which was done before the company was placed into liquidation (contrary to section 213 of the Insolvency Act).
It seems that entrepreneurial standards are not high in the county of Cumbria.
UPDATE (11th May 2009):
After only a few hours this article is now listed in the number one place on Goolge for the following search terms:
- Crome Internet Ltd
- Crome Internet Limited
- Crome New Media
UPDATE (12th May 2009):
This article is now listed as number one place on Google for the following additional search terms:
- David and Jane Alexander
- entrepreneurial standards are not high in the county of Cumbria
Still owe money dating back to August 2008.
UPDATE (4th June 2009):
UPDATE (6th June 2009):
UPDATE (22nd June 2009):
- this page has been seen over 550 times;
- I have been contacted by four other companies who feel that they have been badly treated by the Alexanders;
- Jane has had to close Crome New Media Ltd;
- David has had all of his hosting accounts for his “Host and Promote” business deleted by his hosting provider. ( He has subsiquently moved to a new hosting company called FirstServe ).
It seems that the Alexanders have run out of luck.
UPDATE (8th June 2010):
I have just received the report from the companies liquidator. It seems that there is no cash left (no surprise as the rat left with the spoils) and all the furniture was stolen but Dave and Jane!
It also seems that the liquidator has deemed it necessary to report David and Jane to the Department of Trade and Industry Disqualification Unit under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986….naughty, naughty!
